Hi - the prepositional phrase begins with a preposition therefore the noun phrase a new govt. survey of taxpayers is a noun phrase which also contains the prepositional phrase "of taxpayers" in the attic is a prepositional phrase but "the book in the attic" would be a noun phrase becuase the noun is not a part of the prepositional phrase.

hi,

thanks for the reply.

Again, on the same note , will you please confirm me the below. This is a quote from one explanation.

(3) "I went in the cellar rather than in the attic." -- Correct.
(4) "I went in the cellar instead of in the attic." -- INCORRECT although this 'sounds' normal to me, to be honest! (That's why you have to retrain your ear -- it's not always grammatically right!)
(5) "I went in the cellar instead of the attic." -- Also correct. No difference in preference between (3) and (5).

can I say that , in 4 ,had it been "I went to search the box in the cellar instead of the box in the attic" , then the statement would have been correct as the preposition "instead of" is now followed by a noun phrase "the box in the attic".

Again, in "the box in the attic" , "in the attic" is a prepositional phrase though "the box in the attic" is a noun phrase.

regards,

Ansumania

hi tpr-becky,

will you pl. reply when you get a chance...

thanks,
Ansumania

yes, you are correct in your analysis.